So this week seemed to go by fast at first, but then it slowed down to a crawl.
On Tuesday we went shopping down the strip and I found some legit sweats. I got a pair of bright pink ones and another pair of Easter green ones for my buddy Elder Ita. I’ve resorted to getting the brightest colors possible, because I need something to spice things up a bit and fashion really doesn’t matter here. So to fit in I’ve got to get the most outrageous things to wear haha. Luckily they fit really well unlike the previous sweats I had bought. Later that night, I figured what the heck, it’s Pday, I might as well make some good food for dinner. I chose to make one of the better meals here, Chips Mayai (eggs), which consists of french fries fried together with eggs to make a saucer type thing which you then cover with quacamole or whatever you feel like putting on top. It was probably the most perfect one I have ever made, and I was exceedingly proud of it. I even took a picture of it (for those that know me well, you know I have a habit of taking pictures of meals that I make that are really well done.) That was pretty much it for Tuesday, I just relaxed and ate my Chips Mayai while watching a church movie that night.
Wednesday I felt like crap, my whole body hurt, my stomach especially, and I felt like I had vertigo the entire day. I thought “okay, I can just deal with the pain and maybe it'll go away”. I was slow to move around that morning for I could make it about 10 steps then I would rest and stare into space for 10 min before continuing. It was awful. While I was doing my personal study, reading "Our Search for Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard which is actually an incredible book that I would recommend to everyone especially non-members. So while reading, I was still in pain and then I felt it coming and ran over to the sink to grab a bucket and it just came out. That "Perfect" chips Mayai hadn’t digested at all and had destroyed me and my stomach. I thought that puking would have helped my stomach pain, but that was short lived. It made it feel better for maybe 30 seconds. Then I could tell my body was going into shock and I got super hot, then freezing cold. I had two jackets on i was so cold. I don’t give up easily, and I hate sitting in the apartment all day, so I insisted that even in my sick condition, that we still make our way to Matini to have DDM at 11:00am. I used about an hour to sleep and rest hoping I would feel better. It did help and gave me the needed energy to make it to Mitini. I had been drinking tons of water that morning because I was dehydrated (kabisa!), but food did not sound appetizing at all.
At DDM, I was having hot flashes again. I was still in pain and laid across the table as Elder Nyirenda gave the training. After the training, during the closing prayer, I felt like I was going down..as though I was going to pass out. We were kneeling and my hearing disappeared and I got really disoriented and hot. If the prayer would have gone on any longer, I would have been out. I took about 10 minutes to sit and recover and Elder Nyirenda told me that I needed to go home and rest the remainder of the day. This was not what I wanted, because we had many appointments that day, but I knew my body desperately needed it and I would be in danger if I didnt. We went to the hotel and I figured I needed some nutrients and electrolites in me, so I got some supu (soup). The guy loaded it with meat and intestines. This would have been perfect and exactly what I wanted on any other Wednesday, but this time I could only eat a little bit of the meat and most the broth (oil, meat juices, salt, water). It felt good to get something soft into me. We then headed home where I layed in bed eating bread and drinking water the rest of the day. I once again was freezing and had sweats, 2 jackets, and all my covers on and I still felt cold. The eggs I had used must have gone ba. I had had them for about 30 days and I used the last 4 for my Chips Mayai. So they must have given me a bug or virus of some sort.
Thursday I was feeling much better, but still far from perfect. I did feel good enough to go out and proselyte, but I suggested we take it easy and avoid any long or large hills. This turned out to be perfect, because the plumber texted us saying he was coming at 2:00 pm to unclog a drain, so we had to be back then to let him in to the apartment. We planned to just visit brother KK and share a lesson with him and his family, then come home to meet the plumber. We had a good time with him. I enjoy talking with him, and he really enjoys it because he remains at home all day and says he is incredibly lonely. He wants to go out, but his legs still aren’t fully healed yet. (Legs were crushed in an accident.) We got back to the flat right at 2:00pm but the plumber was no where to be found. I had forgotten to adjust for Kamba time. This is kinda like Mormon standard time, but instead Kamba time is about two hours late rather than just one. So we remained at the flat the rest of the day. I organized the area book, which was a mess and had a ton of unneeded stuff, now it looks good. I have made the resolve to start using the area book as it is supposed to be used. It is supposed to be used every day, but I was never trained to use it, so I have been figuring it out on my own. It really makes things easier though.
Wednesday I felt like crap, my whole body hurt, my stomach especially, and I felt like I had vertigo the entire day. I thought “okay, I can just deal with the pain and maybe it'll go away”. I was slow to move around that morning for I could make it about 10 steps then I would rest and stare into space for 10 min before continuing. It was awful. While I was doing my personal study, reading "Our Search for Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard which is actually an incredible book that I would recommend to everyone especially non-members. So while reading, I was still in pain and then I felt it coming and ran over to the sink to grab a bucket and it just came out. That "Perfect" chips Mayai hadn’t digested at all and had destroyed me and my stomach. I thought that puking would have helped my stomach pain, but that was short lived. It made it feel better for maybe 30 seconds. Then I could tell my body was going into shock and I got super hot, then freezing cold. I had two jackets on i was so cold. I don’t give up easily, and I hate sitting in the apartment all day, so I insisted that even in my sick condition, that we still make our way to Matini to have DDM at 11:00am. I used about an hour to sleep and rest hoping I would feel better. It did help and gave me the needed energy to make it to Mitini. I had been drinking tons of water that morning because I was dehydrated (kabisa!), but food did not sound appetizing at all.
At DDM, I was having hot flashes again. I was still in pain and laid across the table as Elder Nyirenda gave the training. After the training, during the closing prayer, I felt like I was going down..as though I was going to pass out. We were kneeling and my hearing disappeared and I got really disoriented and hot. If the prayer would have gone on any longer, I would have been out. I took about 10 minutes to sit and recover and Elder Nyirenda told me that I needed to go home and rest the remainder of the day. This was not what I wanted, because we had many appointments that day, but I knew my body desperately needed it and I would be in danger if I didnt. We went to the hotel and I figured I needed some nutrients and electrolites in me, so I got some supu (soup). The guy loaded it with meat and intestines. This would have been perfect and exactly what I wanted on any other Wednesday, but this time I could only eat a little bit of the meat and most the broth (oil, meat juices, salt, water). It felt good to get something soft into me. We then headed home where I layed in bed eating bread and drinking water the rest of the day. I once again was freezing and had sweats, 2 jackets, and all my covers on and I still felt cold. The eggs I had used must have gone ba. I had had them for about 30 days and I used the last 4 for my Chips Mayai. So they must have given me a bug or virus of some sort.
Thursday I was feeling much better, but still far from perfect. I did feel good enough to go out and proselyte, but I suggested we take it easy and avoid any long or large hills. This turned out to be perfect, because the plumber texted us saying he was coming at 2:00 pm to unclog a drain, so we had to be back then to let him in to the apartment. We planned to just visit brother KK and share a lesson with him and his family, then come home to meet the plumber. We had a good time with him. I enjoy talking with him, and he really enjoys it because he remains at home all day and says he is incredibly lonely. He wants to go out, but his legs still aren’t fully healed yet. (Legs were crushed in an accident.) We got back to the flat right at 2:00pm but the plumber was no where to be found. I had forgotten to adjust for Kamba time. This is kinda like Mormon standard time, but instead Kamba time is about two hours late rather than just one. So we remained at the flat the rest of the day. I organized the area book, which was a mess and had a ton of unneeded stuff, now it looks good. I have made the resolve to start using the area book as it is supposed to be used. It is supposed to be used every day, but I was never trained to use it, so I have been figuring it out on my own. It really makes things easier though.
Friday was a Matua day. We only go there once per week rather than three times. Elder J and I are able to get along quite well. He is still very quiet and conversation doesn’t flow super easy, but we are able to get along and work together as companions should. He can interact with both the Americans and the Africans well. (Some Africans despise Americans and wish for them to all leave their continent, while others are totally cool and really fun to be around. Most Americans are able to get along pretty well, so thats good, there is evident segregation here. That is what hurts the mission. )
So anyways, our first appointment was with N. It has been a while since we have been able to meet with her, so it was good to see her. Our lesson consisted of answering all her questions and concerns. She says she is feeling persecution from her friends and those around her, but she says that God has manifest to her the truth, so she holds tight to that and pushes forward with faith. Some of the people told her totally outrageous stuff accusing us of being devil worshipers and such. She told us a totally graphic thing about what someone accused us of doing for devil worship. It’s crazy what people come up with. I’m glad N agrees with me when she said that if we were devil worshipers, then we would definitely not have the name of "JESUS CHRIST" written on our name badge placed over our heart. The devil and Christ don’t mix together at all. She wants to be baptized on the 16th of this month, but she is required to come to church at least twice before that can happen. She wants to come, but her schedule for visiting her husband restricts her Sundays. This past Sunday, however, she was planning to come and her husband was at home, but he said she could not come. He is a Catholic like most of Kilungu hills, but he hasn’t been to church in close to 20 years. So I guess we will just have to go teach him too.
It had rained Friday morning, and we thought it was finally rain season, but it was only kidogo (little) rain, so that was interesting. Gets our hopes and fears up, just to have them squashed when people tell us the rain season has yet to come. It is over a month late, so people are panicking that no crops will grow. Those that work hard have flourishing crops, the others that just sit and wait for rain have nothing. It shows there is never a reward for idleness. We taught a few families whom we hadn’t taught in a while. It was good to see them. We went over to Matua for our last appointment with Big Mike and his wife, but everyone was gone at some big family meeting. We met up with President Kaseve (Branch President) whom was also looking for them and talked to him for a while. He agrees there is a problem in Matua right now, so he had come out to inquire about it. It was good to talk to him, our relationship with one another is improving.
Saturday Karibu Rain Season! It was raining hard in the morning and at night, it was dumping! It sounds like thunder the whole time because it bounces off the tin roof. I dont know how people sleep through the rain here, because everyone has tin sheet metal roofs. We saw KK's again in the morning, and we discussed the rain season. It rains morning and night, but stops in the day and gets hot. He was telling us that termites are everywhere this season because of the moisture and temperature changes. He told us that he loves to eat termites, alive and everything. He agreed to make us a meal of termites and Ugali (porridge). I told him I would buy a 2kg bag of Ugali flour and bring it. That will sure be an interesting meal. He said you have to eat them fast and keep them from falling out of the bowl, because they will jump off the sides.
We then went to JM's where we found him keeled over next to his home. We went up and I said "Is it rain season now?" because he says he always falls asleep on the way to his house during the rain season. It surprised him and he woke up. He could hardly speak and notioned that he had a tooth ache. We sat down next to him and tried to think of what we could do. He was completely trembling in pain and when he showed us his tooth, it was no longer a tooth, but instead a small piece that had decayed and now the infection was in his gums. It was the nastiest tooth situation I've seen. I remembered I had acetaminophin in my backpack, so I told him to take two and I gave him a bottle of water I was carrying and told him to drink it all. He did so and then went back to sleep.
We then left and headed to the next appointment, but the next two were not there, so we left and went to the Maks. They were happy to see us and Brother KK was coming to help us translate. He agreed to meet us there. When he arrived, the Maks gave us chai (tea) of sorts, it was just milk and dirty water with some sugar. They do that and serve it hot so that the water is cleaned. It didn't taste too bad, kinda like vanilla cocoa. We taught a nice lesson about the commandments. We also asked him about his progress in getting the certificates of marriage and divorce. He said he lost his ID and has to wait a month for a new one, so that puts off the potential of baptism for a while. As we were leaving, he wanted to know if we wanted to see his grandson’s rabbits. His grandkids are always around because he gives them a small shamba (field) to grow stuff, and will help them build rabbit coops. The rabbits were massive!! He told me he can get his grandson to get one for me and I gladly agreed, only 200ksh ($2.34) for a massive rabbit, no problemo. I told him we'd pick it up on Thursday and I told my son I’d cook it for him so that he can try rabbit for the first time. For all those that believe its wrong to name an animal before eating it, no worries I already named the rabbit Thumper. Yes like the one from Bambi haha. On our way home, a kid was racing down a hill on his bike and I wanted to take a picture, but when I reached into my bag and said "poto" (photo, but they don’t pronounce phonics so its just a "P" sound) he grabbed his bike and ran away. That was a bummer. We found some more kids on their handmade wooden bikes near the KK's and talked to them for a while joking with them and such. I wanted to take a photo of them too, but they disagreed and said give me money first. See what this world has come to, everything is about money nowadays.
Sunday--so I have been robbed! My Camera, yes my mission Camera with 1000+ photos has been stolen, so sorry there won't be any photos for a little while. It was my nicer camera too. The bummer is on Wednesday, I felt the need to back up my photos onto my 32gb SD, but I didn’t get around to it because the others were in a hurry and I felt so terrible. That just goes to show, when you don’t listen to promptings, it bites you in the butt. Also this Sunday was a Fast Sunday. We were having a mission fast for the Visas and Working Permits to come through for the missionaries coming in and those already here, currently my companion Elder J is illegal because of lack of working permit. They have a two week appeal though, so that is what they are going on now. This transfer is a stop and stand still because all the missionaries that were supposed to come from South Africa were denied Visas, so they are currently serving in the Durban and Cape town missions. I guess there is a political problem between the US and Kenya in regards the 2008 election violence here in Kenya, so that is causing problems. At church things went normal except for the 2nd hour, President Kaseve called me into his office. He wanted my advice and suggestion on changing the English Class and Investigator class schedule. We had a really nice talk. I recruited the help of Brother KKto help find my camera and see if the kids we were talking to may have stolen it. He agreed he would do his absolute best to help. At home for dinner, I made Muthokoi, a traditional Kamba dish, which is just like Githeri just not hard, it was delicious and I couldn’t stop eating it.
It had rained Friday morning, and we thought it was finally rain season, but it was only kidogo (little) rain, so that was interesting. Gets our hopes and fears up, just to have them squashed when people tell us the rain season has yet to come. It is over a month late, so people are panicking that no crops will grow. Those that work hard have flourishing crops, the others that just sit and wait for rain have nothing. It shows there is never a reward for idleness. We taught a few families whom we hadn’t taught in a while. It was good to see them. We went over to Matua for our last appointment with Big Mike and his wife, but everyone was gone at some big family meeting. We met up with President Kaseve (Branch President) whom was also looking for them and talked to him for a while. He agrees there is a problem in Matua right now, so he had come out to inquire about it. It was good to talk to him, our relationship with one another is improving.
Saturday Karibu Rain Season! It was raining hard in the morning and at night, it was dumping! It sounds like thunder the whole time because it bounces off the tin roof. I dont know how people sleep through the rain here, because everyone has tin sheet metal roofs. We saw KK's again in the morning, and we discussed the rain season. It rains morning and night, but stops in the day and gets hot. He was telling us that termites are everywhere this season because of the moisture and temperature changes. He told us that he loves to eat termites, alive and everything. He agreed to make us a meal of termites and Ugali (porridge). I told him I would buy a 2kg bag of Ugali flour and bring it. That will sure be an interesting meal. He said you have to eat them fast and keep them from falling out of the bowl, because they will jump off the sides.
We then went to JM's where we found him keeled over next to his home. We went up and I said "Is it rain season now?" because he says he always falls asleep on the way to his house during the rain season. It surprised him and he woke up. He could hardly speak and notioned that he had a tooth ache. We sat down next to him and tried to think of what we could do. He was completely trembling in pain and when he showed us his tooth, it was no longer a tooth, but instead a small piece that had decayed and now the infection was in his gums. It was the nastiest tooth situation I've seen. I remembered I had acetaminophin in my backpack, so I told him to take two and I gave him a bottle of water I was carrying and told him to drink it all. He did so and then went back to sleep.
We then left and headed to the next appointment, but the next two were not there, so we left and went to the Maks. They were happy to see us and Brother KK was coming to help us translate. He agreed to meet us there. When he arrived, the Maks gave us chai (tea) of sorts, it was just milk and dirty water with some sugar. They do that and serve it hot so that the water is cleaned. It didn't taste too bad, kinda like vanilla cocoa. We taught a nice lesson about the commandments. We also asked him about his progress in getting the certificates of marriage and divorce. He said he lost his ID and has to wait a month for a new one, so that puts off the potential of baptism for a while. As we were leaving, he wanted to know if we wanted to see his grandson’s rabbits. His grandkids are always around because he gives them a small shamba (field) to grow stuff, and will help them build rabbit coops. The rabbits were massive!! He told me he can get his grandson to get one for me and I gladly agreed, only 200ksh ($2.34) for a massive rabbit, no problemo. I told him we'd pick it up on Thursday and I told my son I’d cook it for him so that he can try rabbit for the first time. For all those that believe its wrong to name an animal before eating it, no worries I already named the rabbit Thumper. Yes like the one from Bambi haha. On our way home, a kid was racing down a hill on his bike and I wanted to take a picture, but when I reached into my bag and said "poto" (photo, but they don’t pronounce phonics so its just a "P" sound) he grabbed his bike and ran away. That was a bummer. We found some more kids on their handmade wooden bikes near the KK's and talked to them for a while joking with them and such. I wanted to take a photo of them too, but they disagreed and said give me money first. See what this world has come to, everything is about money nowadays.
Sunday--so I have been robbed! My Camera, yes my mission Camera with 1000+ photos has been stolen, so sorry there won't be any photos for a little while. It was my nicer camera too. The bummer is on Wednesday, I felt the need to back up my photos onto my 32gb SD, but I didn’t get around to it because the others were in a hurry and I felt so terrible. That just goes to show, when you don’t listen to promptings, it bites you in the butt. Also this Sunday was a Fast Sunday. We were having a mission fast for the Visas and Working Permits to come through for the missionaries coming in and those already here, currently my companion Elder J is illegal because of lack of working permit. They have a two week appeal though, so that is what they are going on now. This transfer is a stop and stand still because all the missionaries that were supposed to come from South Africa were denied Visas, so they are currently serving in the Durban and Cape town missions. I guess there is a political problem between the US and Kenya in regards the 2008 election violence here in Kenya, so that is causing problems. At church things went normal except for the 2nd hour, President Kaseve called me into his office. He wanted my advice and suggestion on changing the English Class and Investigator class schedule. We had a really nice talk. I recruited the help of Brother KKto help find my camera and see if the kids we were talking to may have stolen it. He agreed he would do his absolute best to help. At home for dinner, I made Muthokoi, a traditional Kamba dish, which is just like Githeri just not hard, it was delicious and I couldn’t stop eating it.
On Monday, I was determined to find my camera. We planned a service day and to teach a few families, and the whole way I scanned the ground like a hawk looking to see if it had dropped out of my bag or something. No one needed service, and those that did had to go to the school for some reason, so we spent some time talking to Brother KK and then taught a few families. It was a productive day. The Maks told us to buy a success card for their granddaughter who was taking her exams, so I bought one for us all to sign that morning. When you open it, it plays the tune of "It’s a Small World". Never would have thought I’d hear that song on my mission haha. We stopped by JM's and he is doing better, but his face is so swollen on one side. It was crazy, he says it doesn't hurt though. On the way home, we found Brother KK basking in the sun and his brother next to him. His brother isn’t a member but has been taught all the lessons. I told them that whomever can bring my camera back to me I will give 3000ksh, that is close to 40usd. The average good daily wage here is 300 - 400ksh so it gives a lot of motivation. Only in ukambani could they find your camera, and get it back to you, anywhere else and its not even worth trying. So hopefully it will be returned to me.
So now I’m in Machakos where we came to get our allotments. It’s nice to be in a city for the day, in a few weeks we go to Nairobi for Zone Conference, so that will be a lot of fun.
Anyways, mission life sure ain’t easy, but I’m sure it will get easier next area. So I guess I just have to make the best of it and endure till then. As said by Joseph Browning, " the best is yet to be."
Love you all,
Elder Hiltbrand
Anyways, mission life sure ain’t easy, but I’m sure it will get easier next area. So I guess I just have to make the best of it and endure till then. As said by Joseph Browning, " the best is yet to be."
Love you all,
Elder Hiltbrand
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